I'm really grateful that the story's picked up a number of followers and favorites over the last couple chapters. I'm glad there are people who are enjoying the series! It's definitely tempted me to keep it going, but I'm still hesitant because I begin film school in the fall and my schedule's going to be crazy. If you want the title to continue, let me know! Drop a review, pm me, whatever. Just let me know that those followers, favorites, and traffic stats aren't just numbers (because, seriously, on this site you never know).

XxCrazyDreamerxX: I'm glad the action's clear and easy to read. I wanted it to be as dynamic and engrossing as anime and manga action, so I'm glad that energy is coming through on the page.

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One Piece: Dark Horse

Chapter 5: Prodigies Clash! Newt vs. Picard

Naval Captain Rex Picard sliced his knife to the side in an attempt to execute Sebastian Casey by slitting her throat. Blood spattered over the remains of the petite Navy HQ. However, the source of the fluid was none other than the Marine himself, who had suffered an incredible blow to his head at the hands of Barr D. Newton, resulting in Picard being sent flying away!

The attack had come so quickly, in fact, that the Marine hadn't registered it even after he began to soar through the air, and he still managed to swing his blade, believing he'd killed Casey. Only after crashing into a 'wealthy' merchant's stall did Picard finally realize he had failed to execute the markswoman and had actually been dealt a blow himself.

Picard was not the only one shocked to discover Newt was the source of so much speed and power. Casey's eyes had widened and her mouth hung agape as she stared at her captain.

"Newt…" Casey broke form, whispering his name.

The young Captain looked back at his friend and comrade, and grinned. "I made ya promise you weren't going to die, stupid!" Newt looked back at his opponent, Picard, with an intense gaze and slammed his left fist into his other hand. "I came to make sure you kept that promise!"

The markswoman smirked, but she wasn't done speaking, "Your strength…did you…?"

Newt nodded without even bothering to look back at Casey.

"Oh, how cute! The cripple returns to save his subordinate!" Picard shouted, standing back up. The Marine's face was bloodied, his left eye already swelling. "How the mighty have fallen, eh, Casey?"

"I know this guy's just the type of Marine you hate," Newt said back to his first mate, "But would you mind if I took this fight?"

Casey hobbled up onto her feet. "Go right ahead, Captain."

"Thanks." Newt stepped forward, his focus on the Marine.

As the pirate moved, Picard noticed something he hadn't seen before. The boy was surrounded by a blue aura that seemed to be thinning by the second. While it certainly proved troubling, particularly considering that it appeared as if no one else could see the aura, it would ultimately prove fruitful to Picard's victory. He just had to outlast the pirate—or more specifically, his aura—to win.

'Ready to die, pirate scum?'

'This is my chance to test myself—to test the Devil Fruit's powers!' Newt thought.

As if he had used Soru, Newt disappeared. However, Picard's Observation Haki allowed him to see the pirate's attack coming. Picard ducked under Newt as the boy swung his leg in a wide arc in an attempt to hit him with a wild roundhouse kick.

"You're untrained, weak." Picard slammed his fist into Newt's chest and sent the boy flying. The young pirate captain had to dig his fingers into the ground to slow himself down and keep from crashing into an abandoned shop.

"Keep talking, why don't'cha? That'll make it easier to win," Newt taunted. The boy pushed off his feet with all his might, leaping towards the Marine Captain. Picard's eyes widened as Newt neared him in a millisecond, but he still managed to avoid most of the pirate's punch, the boy only managing to skim his arm.

In return, Picard produced a new knife from his jacket and tried to cut Newt. The pirate stepped away in time to avoid the blow and jumped back a few feet.

'He's incredibly fast and powerful. If he lands one more blow before that aura disappears, I'm finished.' Picard thought.

Newt breathed heavily as he stared back at Picard. It was getting difficult to fight. Whatever energy that fruit had given him was quickly fading away.

"Without any proper training—a form of martial arts, perhaps—you can not beat me. It doesn't matter what power you have," Picard tried to stall. He quickly added, "Which surprised me, by the way. I always believed you were simply intelligent, if that, not gifted with the powers of a Devil Fruit."

"I am smart enough to realize you're wasting my time, trying to wait till my energy fades entirely," Newt stated. Picard and Casey's eyes both widened in shock, but for different reasons. The markswoman wasn't aware of his aura, let alone that it was fading.

'What's he talking about?' Casey wondered.

"I've got no clue what fruit I ate, but I know its power seems to be leaving me. I don't care. I'll beat you before it's gone!" Newt declared.

Picard's frown slowly turned upside down into a malicious smile. He pulled yet another knife from his jacket, now wielding two, and got into a fighting stance. "Come on then, pirate scum. Are you ready to die?"

Newt roared in frustration and ran forward faster than Casey could see. He tried for a barrage of punches, but Picard managed to dodge every one. As Newt began to slow down, the Marine took this opportunity to attack. He leaped past the pirate faster than even the superhuman boy could react, cutting across his chest.

With his knives raised in a cross formation, Picard coolly said, "Master Kill: X-Slash."

However, Newt's chest did not suddenly rupture, nor did the boy suffer a wound of any kind. Picard was only beginning to look back when his knives shattered, much to his astonishment. 'His aura—it broke my knives!'

"Sucker," Newt teased, already leaping into action. He attempted another kick, but Picard recovered in time and hopped away to dodge the attack.

'Dammit! He's too fast for me! I can't touch him!' Newt struggled to see through the sweat pouring over his eyes. Wiping it away, a thought struck him like lightning. 'Wait, what if I don't need to actually touch Picard to beat him? What if…?'

Newt was drawn back to the previous night. Casey and he had just escaped the Marines and were on their way towards Salom for supplies when the boy had asked the markswoman something interesting.

…

"Can you teach me to fight?" Newt looked up at Casey innocently as the two sat opposite each other in the blond's personally engineered boat.

The markswoman frowned. She glanced down at the teen's leg braces. "Are you certain that fighting is something you should attempt?"

"You're joking, right? I don't care how strong my crew is; I know I'll be forced into combat on my journey to become Pirate King." Newt paused, before carefully adding, "And I won't just stand by and watch you constantly risk your life for me. I want to be able to protect myself."

Casey's lips flicked into an almost-smile. "Very well, Captain. What would you like to learn? I think marksmanship would be appropriate for—"

"I want to learn hand-to-hand combat," Newt declared.

Casey was taken aback by the comment. At the very least, she had assumed he would be open to other methods, particularly considering his condition.

"But Captain—"

"That's an order, Casey. Teach me to fight with my hands."

Casey sighed, and reluctantly agreed to Newt's wishes with a nod.

"I've always been more skilled at long-ranged arts, but I did pick up a thing or two about fighting hand-to-hand during my tenure as a Marine," Casey began. She stood up and massaged her left mechanical hand. "I'd say we should start with basic techniques like how to punch or kick someone without hurting yourself, but I figure you'd rather jump right into the thick of things."

Newt nodded. Casey continued.

"The Navy teaches a six-part technique called Rokushiki to only the most talented sailors. I was lucky to be among that select few. However, I only managed to learn a couple moves before…" Casey shrugged her prosthetic arms to make her point. "The two I know are Soru—a technique that makes you dramatically faster—and Rankyaku—an attack that—"

"Rank-a-poo sounds good," Newt interjected.

Casey smirked. "I thought you'd say that."

Without another word, the ex-Marine leaped into the air and swung her leg around so quickly that she managed to create a torrential gust of wind shaped like a blade. The tempestuous air attack tore through the sea, until at last settling down fifty yards away.

Casey looked at her captain. Newt's expression was that of a child entering a candy shop for the first time; awe and excitement were etched into his eyes.

"Rank-a-poo will definitely work," he muttered.

"It's 'Rankyaku.'"

"That's what I said."

Despite the boy's earnestness, Casey still had some doubt in her mind. What could he achieve with his legs? Even still, she was more than willing to try to teach him. If it made him come to terms with his condition and what he could accomplish, he would be all the better for it.

"All right, Captain." Casey raised her left leg at a 90-degree angle. "You start by lifting your leg up like this."

Newt tried to mimic Casey but ended up falling onto his butt. The markswoman frowned. This wasn't the most promising start…

Hours later, Casey had long past fallen asleep. Exhaustion had overtaken her, and the markswoman had to spend some time recovering from the stress of the previous few days. With the ship on course thanks to Newt's very own compass system, she could sleep without fear of anything natural disrupting their voyage.

Newt, on the other hand, had been training all night. Attempt after attempt, he tried to master Rankyaku. However, even after managing to balance himself and kick his leg to the side, he still couldn't produce anything resembling the epic attack.

At the break of dawn, Newt was forced to stop practicing, not because of the new day's arrival but because of something he noticed out of the corner of his eye.

"Get up, Casey!" Newt shouted excitedly, staring out at the briefest hint of yellow and green hundreds of yards away. "I see an island!"

Casey stirred. She struggled to truly rouse herself, but even half-awake she could spy the island with her hawk-like vision.

"Put on your cloak!" Casey reached into her supply bag and tossed Newt a crimson shroud. "We can't let anyone recognize us."

"'Course not!" Newt muttered sarcastically as he tugged off his beanie, tossed it into his bag, and pulled on his cloak. "If someone did, things would get too exciting, right?"

…

With nearly the last of his energy, Newt bounded for Picard. The Marine jumped away before the boy could reach him, but Newt had been expecting that. 'This is it—with everything I've got!'

"RANK-A-POO!" Newt roared, swinging his right leg around as hard as he could. Much to his delight, an enormous blade of air erupted under the pressure of his kick, and surged towards Picard. Casey's eyes widened. The Marine was still caught mid-jump and could do nothing to avoid the attack.

'He knows Rankyaku? Just who the hell is this kid?!'

The air blade collided with Picard. Blood spurted from a wound that spanned the Marine's head to his groin, as he fell to the ground. The Naval Captain's eyes glazed over and his jaw hung loosely as he lay down, defeated but still alive.

"Well…" Newt landed on the ground. His legs twitched and his eyes began to roll back in his head. Exhaustion seemed to seep into his every pore. "That's just…great…"

Newt collapsed to the ground just as Casey reached him. She slid down and caught her captain, allowing him to rest on her lap.

'Newt…you did it. I don't know how, but you…you did it…'

Casey frowned, looked up, and cried out, "Help! I need a doctor!"

No response. Casey continued to yell for three minutes straight before she too began to fade into unconsciousness. The pain in the bullet wound over her stomach seemed to echo over her body. She could do nothing but succumb to the darkness as she collapsed over her captain.

…

As I'm not sure if I'm going to continue the title, there is no preview for the next chapter. All I can leave with you is the potential title for it: 'A Marine's Rage! Battle for the Rum.' Please, drop a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!